146% confidence. The right questions to VTsIOM

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In late may, the all-Russia centre of studying of public opinion (VTSIOM) has changed the methodology of measuring the rating of trust to President Vladimir Putin. This happened after the press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov was asked sociologists to explain: how did it happen that Putin's rating has fallen to 31.7% – the low for the entire history of these surveys? VTSIOM explained previously, pollsters asked people to name some names of politicians whom they trust. Now they began to offer a choice of specific names, and Putin's rating under the new methodology immediately soared to 72%. History with instant adjustment of the Polls to the needs of the Kremlin provoked a strong reaction in the Russian society and made Kazan the artist Lev Pereulka to create a series of parody questionnaires, which, it seems, would be perfect dystopia of George Orwell and Vladimir Voinovich. "Do you trust Putin?" – reads the question on one of them. The bottom three choices, "Yes", "no", "undecided", but the box for show only in front of the first printed. "Are you ready to go to a protest in your city?" – reads the question on another sheet. Answers like, "No, not ready" and "Yes, I support the idea of violence and aim to destabilize the situation in the region through support to the threat of the opposition." Another questionnaire: "do you have the claim to the authorities? Describe them below in a special field." Special field, however, it appears completely black to write on it something impossible. Photos of these questionnaires quite quickly became viral on the Internet, moreover, due to the stylization and the use of this logo VTsIOM them initially mistaken for the real thing. Leo Lanes moderates several communities in the social network "Vkontakte", places where their work and the work of other contemporary artists. For example, a collection of butterflies which imitate the characteristic patterns of Russia; or the photograph of the Kazan high-rise buildings to put on them with quotations from the songs of Yegor Letov. There is in his portfolio and work, not carry the political overtones: the Alleys places of famous characters of pop culture in Russian provincial decorations, such as the characters of "Game of thrones" he sat at the table with traditional Russian fare in a no less recognizable the interior of the usual city apartment. Radio Liberty spoke with the artist and asked him to tell about himself, about why he decided to respond to a parody on the news of VTsIOM and the rating of Putin and is not afraid whether it is for becoming another victim of the new laws On "contempt of authority" or "Of fake news" and other works. "I was born in Kazan and lived here until now. I'm 21 years old. I started to do some form of art at the age of 16 when he created a public "Paraula". I have no idea what I'm doing, exposed in the main text. More or less began to build a General understanding of the Internet and how social networks work. I then docked with another person, and together we created a community Among Us 2D, it was the first viral. There we published the collages where he combined the Russian street and pop culture. For example, there are characters of "Game of thrones" sit at the table in typical Russian surroundings. It became popular and we realized that people like it – it is something visual, something resembling the present. Not only culturally, that is what we see in the media, but also the present in terms of everyday Russian life. That is, Russia still has its own characteristics, for example, the abundance of a panel of architecture, how the streets look, how does politics in Russia". "And together with the guys from this community I decided to create a public MXD, where he worked with viral content, and not only with pop culture, but also with images of Russia. He, too, became popular, about us wrote almost all editions, including Pro-government. We managed to create a product that covered the entire audience, and I, of course, politicized. It affected the situation in Russia, for example, Barnaul, when in Barnaul people began to plant for memes. Well, due to the fact that I was politicized, I began to pay more attention to the Russian problem." "At first I thought that this content will not appeal to the subscribers, but was sure that it was important to speak on such topics. Surprisingly, it was perceived very positively. Even a large community, where a few million people, published these works, including recently, about the polls. And I, in fact, it seems a little surprising: I had the idea that such political posts still uninteresting the audience. But it turned out that they are interested in. How did the office of the President may intervene in the Affairs of sociologists? When I heard the news about the opinion Polls, when polls did not change these polls that Putin's rating was higher, I was very surprised. How did the office of the President may intervene in the Affairs of sociologists? They have their own methods, they very complicated as to make sure that people answered the question as honestly as possible, because it is a very important point. I believe that sociologists should be left to themselves, moreover, I did not trust before VTsIOM figures, believed that it overstates ratings. In fact, they very gently asked: "What kind of politicians do you trust?" And the person may reply that he does not have to expose yourself, he can say honestly and sincerely. When the survey methodology has changed, I realized that this topic is necessary to comprehend is you need to distribute to the masses. Because in Russia not all read the news, unfortunately, not all interested in politics, and such pictures are much easier to understand". "When I was doing surveys Polls, I was largely inspired by the Moscow conceptualists and their methods. Because they just parodied Chancery, they parodied Soviet culture, and the culture of the party leadership. I specifically, deliberately kept this style, which is very similar to those municipal documents, with a characteristic font with a characteristic design elements. First I just wanted to post them online, but decided to photograph them on the ground that they appeared in reality, to even stronger were similar to the actual documents. Of course, I didn't want people took it wrong and thought it was real polls. If you read carefully, once you understand that it is a travesty that this alteration". "I believe that the issue on the part of the pollster: "do you Trust Putin", especially when communicating via landline, this is wrong, it should not be. I have this question brought to the extreme, brought to the absurd, that is actually deprived people of choice. I don't know if I called, say, evening, and asked: "do you Trust Putin?" in the phone call, not the fact that I would say sincerely. Because it is difficult to say sincere when you call when calling you from such structures. I trust Putin himself? No. I find it hard to trust a man who is so many years as President. It's just impossible." "I don't think that my work will cause problems with the authorities. During this time I have formed a pretty impressive media weight. Even if something happens, say, some kind of criminal charges or administrative, I think that defenders will help me. That is, there are people who want to help me financially, including. If we talk about other effects, in fact, all of my work does not violate laws of the Russian Federation, that is, there is, in fact, not even something to complain about. Yeah, I thought that maybe these opinion polls can bring to the article "fake", but still I have a community where even in the description it is written that we do viral pictures, and there is no ambiguity in this regard." "I don't participate in street protests. I'm a homely person, you might say. And it is much more important to impose their point of view on the Internet than to go to the action on the street as I do Pussy Riot or anyone else. I do not believe that the form of street action worse. I think it may be something better. Just have your method to convey their ideas. The topic I choose, guided by the principle of personal discontent. If something in the media or in the government, I am surprised, shocked, annoyed, I start to think how it is possible to comprehend and interpret". "Butterflies", in fact, my favorite series, because it's... deep, or something, it's hard to explain in words. After all, there are real butterflies that have changed changed their colour due to the fact that there are fewer trees, due to emissions of factories and so on. I think it's very important." "I like the work about censorship, which I released two months ago, where houses are covered with posters.

Here I like the fact that managed to combine politics, "the law of sovereign Russian Internet", and that, in principle, in my city, in Kazan, and in many cities of Russia, the architecture behind these false facades, for banners, for some tissues, and it is a very ridiculous way, actually, to hide from problems." "Sockets", shabby backyards, devastation – I have some nostalgic feeling for these things. These things we have in huge quantity, and it is important to understand that this is terrible, this is for many a personal tragedy, domestic tragedy, for those who live in some communal or somewhere else. But at the same time it is so common a symbol of Russia, which is in our backyard that you can't just close my eyes and not look at it. If you go out and go from one end of town to another, will still be greeted by Khrushchev, the anthills in the 20-30 floors, and some feeling you're gonna experience to this. Not only the poor, not only negative. You will have some memories associated with these buildings, there will be some attitude, which is formed by experience." "Do I want to leave Russia? Actually, for me it's a very difficult question. About six months ago, when I asked about it, I wrote that I was going to leave. But now, actually, I'm not really sure then what the culture used very much and I'm not sure I will be as comfortable in cultural terms, not in the household, in other countries. The Russian language used to the people that surround you. But if the situation in Russia has deteriorated, especially if you have strong, strong censorship of the Internet, as has happened on television, I will have to leave because to Express I no more can."